Light

It's dominated the news for the last week.

'The Bay Harbour Butcher is dead'. It's on every station. Those who oppose me want me to be afraid of them. They want me to know that I'm not invincible, that one day they'll catch me. It's ridiculous, to compare some small time vigilante to me, the god of the new world. I switch off the TV and turn back to my team, the Kira Task Force.

"It's been two months since the first L died. Other than the huge rise in attacks by Kira after Ryuzaki's death, we've had no new leads in the investigation."

"But what about what they're saying?" says Matsuda. "On the internet, on the news, that maybe the Bay Harbour Butcher was connected to Kira?"

"Matsuda you idiot, there are vigilantes around the world, it's unlikely that any one of them kill for a reason other than their own sense of justice. Just because this… James Doakes…got himself caught doesn't mean he knows anything about Kira. And according to the information, he's been killing for a lot longer than Kira has."

"It was just an idea." Matsuda mumbles to himself.

"Actually Light, he might been onto something" says my father.

Impossible. I know myself that I've had no contact with James Doakes. "Why? Do you have any proof?"

"Maybe. While you were out this morning"…

Writing names.

…"we received any e-mail from Maria LaGuerta, the Lieutenant of Miami Metro PD."

"Let me guess, an emotionally involved co-worker convinced of his innocence."

"Yes, but she has evidence. Evidence which the FBI dismissed because of her involvement as quick as you did."

Interesting. Has the human justice system failed again? I wouldn't be surprised.

"It's not exonerating, just a few stake-out logs that conflict with the murders of some of the victims. But she'd like us to take a look into it seeing as we're the top investigative team in the world."

"Surely we're not going to" says Aizawa. "Some woman half way around the world wants us to go prove her friends innocence? This has nothing to do with us. Even if James Doakes isn't the Bay Harbour Butcher her evidence doesn't prove he has a connection to Kira. It would just be a waste of our time and distract us from our real case."

"That is, as long as he has no connection to Kira."

"What do you mean Light?"

"I mean this might be something to keep an eye on. Kira hasn't given us any clues in months. If he does share a connection with the Bay Harbour Butcher, I'm sure it'll show eventually."

I've never met the Butcher, I've never had any reason to suspect he was someone other than James Doakes, and yet I've already been fooled by him once. I was as quick to dismiss him as a suspect as everyone else. This could be something to keep an eye on…

Over the next few weeks, when I'm not writing names of 'investigating' Kira, I'm checking LaGuerta's story.

Miami has a suspiciously high rate of disappearances in criminals, far greater than the number of bodies found in the Butcher's dumping ground. It goes back years, since Doakes was still in the special forces. This settles it for me, Sergeant Doakes is not the Bay Harbour Butcher. But whoever he is, he's a genius. He's alluded capture for almost a decade, and when he finally does come into the public eye, he frames a corpse who can't claim otherwise, it's brilliant. If he is willing to serve me, he could be a mighty ally. If he's not, he's a dangerous foe who threatens my perfect world.

One month later I show the research to my team.

"Look at the rate of criminal disappearances in Miami compared to a month ago."

"It's barely five percent higher than it was before" says Mogi.

"Exactly I believe that Kira is now in Miami, trying to make contact with the Butcher, who he believes to still be alive. He's trying to be subtle about it, but he's not subtle enough, especially when you look at his attack pattern for the rest the world."

"Attacks in Japan have gone down nearly ten percent since L died! That's it! Does this mean we get to go to Miami!" exclaims Matsuda.

"Don't be an idiot"

"I'm afraid it does Aizawa. It's been another month and we still have no other leads in the Kira investigation. Unless you have any clues you've been hiding from us, we're relocating the task force head quarters to Miami."

"Ooh Miami" hisses Ryuk in my ear "I've never been to the beach before, sounds interesting. Do they have apples there?"

"Of course, I would never take you somewhere that doesn't have apples."

Ryuk laughs "And what about you? What do you plan on doing once you've found the Butcher?"

"It depends… but either way, I will find the real Bay Harbour Butcher, my new world depends on it."